‘Riches Beyond Measure’ Author Q&A with Mary Connealy

Mary Connealy writes “romantic comedies with cowboys” and is celebrated for her fun, zany, action-packed style. She has sold more than 1.5 million books and is the author of the popular series A Western Light, Wyoming Sunrise, and many other books. Mary lives on a ranch in eastern Nebraska with her very own romantic cowboy hero. Learn more at MaryConnealy.com

FF: Can you please provide a brief summary of Riches Beyond Measure?

A widow who’s afraid to risk love again. But has seen the rest of her family go on treasure hunts and wants a turn. A former banker who loves the cowboy life and is drawn to a pretty widow and her adorable daughter. A stolen dagger with no known suspects, but the theft proves there is danger nearby. A scolding Professor who wants to do all digging for treasure his way pitted against headstrong kids who want to find their treasure now and want to be sure that treasure remains theirs. Wilderness and danger and a second chance at love.

FF: The historical California frontier is a prominent setting in your Golden State Treasure Series. What experiences do you have with this setting that helped you bring it to life?

About a year ago my husband and I traveled by Amtrak from Denver to San Francisco, then by bus from San Francisco to Yosemite National Park. I do so much of my research online, but I couldn’t pass up a chance to get to Yosemite. We haven’t done much traveling in our lives, so we are trying to make up for it now. I wanted to see what Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada Mountains looked like approaching from the east, and we drove through the northern California Central Valley to reach the park. That’s right where the Two Harts Ranch is set. I stared at that vast mountain range and pictured my characters looking toward them and thinking . . . “the treasure is up there somewhere,” and considering the scale of that search.

FF: The earthquake that revealed prized artifacts is a unique twist in this story. What inspired you to incorporate a treasure hunt in this book?

I started the whole book thinking of the Lost Dutchman Mine, and I read somewhere online that the whole mountain range (the Rockies) is full of stories of lost treasure. I couldn’t think of a treasure hunt without smiling. Why not create my own lost treasure? And earthquakes . . . I read that California has around 500 earthquakes a year, mostly small and ignored by the old hands in the state. But I wanted something huge to hide a treasure and then reveal it. When I was in California, I kept hoping for an earthquake, but I never felt even a small one. I had to imagine that.

FF: Can you tell us about Annie Lane’s character arc throughout the series? How has she evolved from the earlier books, and what changes her perspective on love in Riches Beyond Measure?

In the first two books, Annie is very quiet. She mostly just runs the school and the household and cares for her daughter. She’s a widow. Her husband was shot and killed at the beginning of a book from a former series—Inventions of the Heart, book 2 of The Lumber Baron’s Daughters Series, also set on the Two Harts Ranch. For the last two years she’s had no interest in romance or even considered such a thing.

Then along comes Cord Westbrook, also looking for the mysterious treasure. His family has a solid claim on whatever is found in that mysterious journal. Cord throws in to help with the search. But Annie’s real problem . . . a shocking one . . . is that the minute Cord walks into her kitchen, she’s interested. She never saw that coming. And that awakens her desire for love, her desire to move on from the endless grind of work, and her desire to get in on an adventure.

FF: Tell us about Cord Westbrook. What draws him to the Two Harts Ranch, and what makes him such an appealing hero in this story?

I loved Cord Westbrook. He’s just such a decent guy. He really wants to be a farmer. When his treasure-mad grandfather demands Cord leave the bank Grandpa owns and Cord works at, and find out what’s going on with that family of treasure thieves, he goes off to find the MacKenzie’s Treasure mainly because it’s centered around the Two Harts Ranch and he’s heard it’s a well-run ranch and he hopes to learn from traveling there. Then the treasure, which his grandpa believes in fervently and Cord cooperates with just because his grandpa won’t let up about it, turns out to be real. And the Westbrook family has a claim to half of it. Then Cord finds himself on a treasure hunt with a beautiful woman who’s a tough ranch woman with a sweet, pretty daughter, and he’s suddenly thinking of a better kind of treasure than gold.

FF: What do Cord and Annie discover about each other as they work together on the treasure hunt, and how do they complement each other as a team?

They both find the very best of each other—their strength, their faith, their kind hearts—as they work through odd, baffling clues left thirty years ago by the MacKenzies’ long-dead grandpa. They make a great team, and when love begins to grow, both of them with muddled plans for the future, they discover a future together.

FF: What’s your approach to writing adventure stories? How do you make sure the emotional elements are balanced amidst all the action?

Well, anyone will tell you, I’m unbalanced! But for me it’s usually story first. The adventure is what drives me along. Weaving in the emotion . . . which is ultimately the most important part of any book, has to be done thoughtfully and deliberately; otherwise I’d just spend the whole book with my characters running for their lives.

FF: What is the heart of your Golden State Treasure Series, and what themes run throughout these books?

The real heart of these books is two young men, the MacKenzie brothers, who are treasure-mad. The adults in their lives get caught up in the search too, but none of them want to see gold ruin these boys’ lives. They are always trying to keep their boys’ eyes (and their own) on laying up their treasures in heaven.

FF: What message do you hope readers will take from your story?

My first and most important goal with any book is to write a story that is fun enough that people will be glad to come along on the ride. If anyone learns a deeper lesson or finds an important message in my books, well, I’m delighted, but there’s a good chance God put it there for me to find as much as for my readers. I just hope my readers take away a great time.

FF: Would you like to share what you’re working on next?

Riches Beyond Measure is the third book in the Golden State Treasure Series. Book one in a new series begins next year with the Rocky Mountain Marshalls Series. A simple prisoner transport for five US marshals from Denver to Fort D.A. Russell in Cheyenne, Wyoming, is complicated by a bridge out, two other frustrated travelers who ask if they can ride along to the fort, and a family of hotheads trying to break their kin free from being hanged for a crime he didn’t commit . . . well, he did it, but it was self-defense . . . sort of. Mayhem ensues.

FF: Finally, how can readers connect with you?

The best way to find me is at www.MaryConnealy.com. I’m also on most of the social media sites: Instagram, Twitter (X), Facebook.